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The Standing Conference of University Drama Departments

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Drama and Employability

What kind of graduates do employers want?

According to Prospects, “leaving university with a good degree is a pre-requisite in the graduate employment market, but this alone is not enough to secure your first graduate job”.

Look at the skills that employers say they want and it’s clear that Drama graduates are well-placed to meet the needs of employers.

Drama graduates can...

According to Prospects, the skills of performing arts students include,

  • confidence;
  • self-presentation;
  • teamwork and collaboration;
  • time management and organisational skills;
  • self-awareness;
  • self-discipline;
  • an open mind and the ablitity to move beyond boundaries and experiment with different ideas;
  • communication skills;
  • analytical, critical and research skills;
  • the ability to cope with criticism and learn from it;
  • stamina.

What kinds of jobs?

Drama graduates go on to do a wide range of things. As well as jobs within the theatre and related creative industries such as acting, directing, stage and event management, script writing and technical theatre, graduates may also take up careers in the following sectors:

  • Education;
  • Commercial and public sector management;
  • Social/Welfare;
  • Marketing/sales/advertising;
  • Business/financial.

You can find a breakdown of what recent Drama graduates do on the Higher Education Careers Services Unit website.

The Guardian also has a number of resources worth looking at:

  • What to do with a degree in drama studies; there is also a related Facebook group.
  • Career Options for performing arts and drama graduates.
  • What else can a drama graduate do?
  • What else can an actor do?

Further details on specific careers can be found at:

  • Dramatherapist: job description
  • Learn direct: can theatre directing be taught?

How do I improve my job prospects?

  • Get as good a degree as possible.
  • Get as much experience in your prospective career as possible during your degree.

In the HECSU report entitled Why Work Experience Matters!, the skills and advantages that graduates reported that work experience gave them ranged from: “being a way they learn what kind of work they want to do, to exposing them to the life in the office, to giving them responsibilities, sector knowledge, crucial contacts and networking opportunities as well as being a direct route into employment” (Jensen 2010 p.3).

You can get experience:

  • as part of your degree, through specialist modules/programmes or work-based learning placements;
  • using formal and informal opportunities for work experience;
  • setting up and running your own extra-curricular projects and events;
  • working for a voluntary agency or charity to get experience;
  • using lower level work opportunities to get involved in larger organisations (e.g. as a member of front-of-house or box-office staff).

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